


The Highwayman Came Riding

by captainswanapproved



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst, Based on a Poem, Character Death, F/M, mention of non-con
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-25
Updated: 2015-07-25
Packaged: 2018-04-11 04:12:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4420859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainswanapproved/pseuds/captainswanapproved
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Killian Jones, a handsome highwayman is in love with Emma Nolan, the daughter of an innkeeper. After a time apart, he goes to the inn and promises that after one last mission, he will return for her and they will start their lives together. However, fate has something else in mind for the young lovers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Highwayman Came Riding

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This AU is inspired by the poem “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes, and was written and edited while listening to Loreena McKennitt’s performance of the poem.

Killian Jones urged his horse to a swift gallop, determined to reach the inn before midnight. He had kept his beloved Emma waiting long enough. He nudged the horse with the heel of his boots, urging the animal to full speed. 

The wind was blowing with unrestrained ferocity. The moon hung in the pitch black sky like a ghostly galleon. The winding road stretched out before him, slicing through the purplish moor. His breathing was labored and sweat beaded at his brow, but his longing to see his lass was far more important than resting. So he rode, and rode, until the battered inn door was in sight. 

Killian’s eyes twinkled at the sight of the cobbled stone inn yard. He removed his whip from his belt loop and slid off of his horse. He cracked the whip against the blue shutters. They were locked up tight. He couldn’t help but be relieved. David Nolan was not thrilled about his precious daughter being in love with a simple highwayman, but the man had enough honor not to stand in the way of their love. 

Killian fidgeted with the pristine lace at his throat and adjusted his tricorn hat. He took a few steps towards Emma’s wind and pursed his lips, whistling sharply. He waited for what seemed to be the longest moment of his life. The window finally opened and Emma came into view. Her face brightened the moment she laid eyes on Killian. “At last,” she cried.

Killian was before her in an instant. He took her hand in is and kissed it tenderly. “I told you I would be back in a fortnight, my love.”

“A fortnight is too long,” Emma said, “especially when you are going to leave me again so soon.”

“I promise this will be the last time I will ever leave you. I’m after a prize tonight, and with it, you and I will be able to afford a boat and leave this place forever.”

Emma’s eyes lit up at the prospect of finally starting a life with her true love. She had been trapped in this inn for far too long. “Then return quickly, my love,” Emma said.

Killian smiled at her, cupping her cheek with his gloved hand. “One kiss from you will ensure my safe return.”

Emma was more than happy to oblige. She poured all of her love and longing for him into the kiss. His fingers carded through her hair, undoing her carefully done plait. She clung to him as he deepened the kiss. They remained in their passionate embrace until the need for air became too much. 

Killian still clutched her hand in his as they drew apart. “I love you, Emma, more than simple words can express.”

“I love you too,” she whispered.

“I will return as quickly as I am able. If I cannot return by morning light, look for me by the moonlight. I will come for you by the moonlight.” Then he released her hand and mounted his horse, galloping westward into the night after one last look at the woman he loved.

Emma continued to gaze out the window long after he was out of sight. “Killian, come back to me.”

-/-

Killian did not return at dawn.

Nor did he return at noon. 

Emma sat at the window, staring down the road, waiting to catch a glimpse of her beloved’s ebony stallion. 

Sunset came and went, and yet he still hadn’t returned. 

The full moon and glistening stars lit up the dark sky. Emma had no doubt that he would come for her by the moonlight as he had promised. He was the only man to ever return to her. 

At long last she heard the sounds of approaching hooves. Emma leaned out over the window sill, scanning the dark horizon. But it was not Killian Jones approaching. 

Her eyes widened as she recognized the insignia on the flag. It had haunted her ever since she could remember. “Papa,” she yelled. “King George’s men are coming. They found us.”

David leapt from his chair by the fire and slammed the windows shut. “Hide in the cellar, Emma.”

“No,” Emma said, her expression hardened. “I’m not going to leave you.”

David gripped her arm and dragged her to the cellar. “I will not lose you the way I lost your mother, Emma. Now do not make a sound.” He closed the heavy door, hoping that it would be enough to protect his precious daughter, but in his heart of hearts he knew it wouldn’t be.

-/-

King George himself led his men to the inn. After twenty long years he’d finally have his revenge on the good for nothing boy that hat betrayed him. King George rubbed his thumb over the medallion he’d taken from his the lifeless body of his son’s wife. It had served as a reminder of the work that still needed to be done. 

“Break down the door,” the king ordered. His men happily obliged.

King George entered the dingy establishment and found David waiting for him with his sword drawn. 

The king smirked evilly. “Your courage has always been your greatest virtue,” he said. “But it will do you no good tonight.”

“It does not matter what you do to me,” David growled. “You will never fill that hole in your heart.”  
“Ah, but it will be enough to see your mangled body beside that of your daughter,” King George said. “Take heart in the fact that soon you will be reunited with your precious Snow White. The woman you threw away everything for. What would she think of you if she knew that you failed her?”

“You do not deserve to utter her name, you disgraceful bastard,” David shouted.

“I seem to have hit a sore spot,” the king told his men. The soldiers were soon roaring with laughter. “Tie him up,” King George instructed, and within moments, David was bound to a chair in front of the fire. 

“Now where is that pretty little daughter of yours, David. She will be a fine prize for my men, who have gone so long without the touch of a woman. They will each have a turn with her before I put an end to her with my musket.”

“If you dare to lay a a finger on her I will kill you myself,” David threatened. 

“I highly doubt that,” King George said, sounding unimpressed. “Find her. It should not be too hard.” His men went off in search of Emma as King George raided David’s liquor cabinet. His men would be in need of libations. 

-/-

Emma sat with her knees curled to her chest. The cellar was pitch black. Part of her wished Killian would arrive and save her, but the other part wished for him to stay safe and far away from the tyrannical King George and his bloodthirsty men. 

The sound of stomping boots overhead made her blood run cold. It would not be long until they found her. When they did, it may very well be the end of her. If only Killian had come sooner. She’d be out to sea with him. But then, her father would have been alone to face his life long enemy.

She bit her lip to keep from crying out when the overhead cellar door opened. A bearded man leered down at her. “I’ve found our prize, men,” he shouted. “And she will be a delightful bedfellow.”

Bile rose in Emma’s throat at his words. He gripped her wrist and yanked her into his arms. He dragged her to stand in front of the king.

The older man leered down at her. He cupped her chin in his hand and forced her to look up at him. “You are as beautiful as your mother,” he said to her, before turning to his men. “You know what to do.”

Her bearded captor’s laugher was the most frightening sound she’d ever heard in her life. The man dragged her to the bed and bound her to the post. He stuffed a soiled handkerchief in her mouth. Emma sputtered helplessly. Two of the men knelt on either side of her, the barrels of their muskets pressed beneath her breasts. Her eyes flew to the open casement, and she could catch a glimpse of the road that would bring Killian back to her. Please hurry, she thought. 

Emma struggled helplessly against the ropes that bound her, as the five men circled around her, jeering and making crude remarks about her figure. The first man tightened the knots so that Emma’s back was rigid against the bed frame. 

He pushed her knees apart and sat before her. “What a pretty lass,” he said in an oily voice. “I’ll be glad to make you mine in front of these fools.”

“Emma,” David shouted, his eyes wide with fear. There was nothing he could do, and soon his cries were silenced as King George smacked him over the head with an empty whiskey bottle, rendering him unconscious. He would never awaken again.

The others hooted and hollered as their fellow caressed her form and kissed her roughly. His hand wandered down towards the juncture of her thighs. Emma bit her lip, she would not give them the satisfaction of crying out. She could feel the cool metal of the musket through the thin fabric of her dress. 

The minutes crawled by like hours as the men took their turn in violating her. She struggled against the ropes until she was dripping with sweat and her hands bled. All the while she kept her eyes on the casement praying that Killian would come for her. Her fingers brushed the cool metal of the trigger. It was hers to use at least, if Killian never came.

-/-

She thought she was imagining it at first, the sound of hooves against the road. King George’s men acted as if they had heard nothing at all. 

But then, from the distance the sound grew louder. Her heart began to pound. Could it really be her beloved Killian?

She straightened her back as the man on top of her stood. He’d finally heard the sound. The man peered out of the wind, and he caught a faint glimpse of a highwayman galloping towards the inn. He sneered at his companions after catching a glimpse of Emma’s hopeful expression. “It seems that the lass might have a savior, gentlemen,” he said. “We shall soon take care of him.”

“No!” Emma cried helplessly. 

Look for me by the moonlight.

Then she saw him though the casement. His face was like the brightest light she could imagine.He had come back for her, but now, it was her turn to save him. She couldn’t let such a light be extinguished from the world. But there was only one way to warn him of the danger. 

She took one last look at her love, before leaning over the barrel of King George’s musket. Her finger gripped the trigger. 

The gunshot pierced the silence. Her breast shattered in the moonlight.

-/-

The crack of the gunshot startled his horse, and Killian urged it forward when he realized the sound had come from the inn. Emma.

He had no idea she was bent over the barrel of an enemy’s musket, drenched in her own blood. Until he saw a flash of gold through the window. He watched in horror as Emma fell to the ground.   
Like a madman, Killian shouted a curse to the sky, and urged his horse to full speed. There was no time to spare. He had to get to Emma and tell her how much he loved her before she was ripped way from him. He brandished his rapier high as he charged towards the inn. 

King George’s men were ready for him though. Their muskets were aimed and loaded. 

A second shot pierced the silence. King George’s men shot the highwayman down like a dog. Killian fell off his horse, blood seeping from his wound and staining the lace at his collar. He died in a pool of his own blood, with his hand extended towards his true love, and she suffered the same.

The moon hung in the sky like a ghostly galleon. The wind howled with unrestrained ferocity.

The purplish moor became a grave.


End file.
